Instant hot water drinks

ABSTRACT

A product having an internal substance protected by a rugged exterior shell is disclosed. The internal substance is reactive with the exterior shell but is separated therefrom by a coating on an interior surface of the external shell so that the product can be stored for a long period of time without the internal substance reacting with the exterior shell. The coating is meltable so that, when desired, the product may be heated (e.g. immersed in hot water or exposed to heat) in order to melt the coating so that the internal substance can react with the external shell so that the internal substance can excrete out of the exterior shell.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation in part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/609,215, filed Jan. 29, 2015, which claims thebenefit of Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/084,443, filed onNov. 25, 2014, the entire contents of which are expressly incorporatedherein by reference.

STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND

The various aspects and embodiments described herein relate to instanthot water drinks.

Current concentrates are currently marketed in large containers that theend user must measure and dissolve in liquid or in prepackagedquantities that must be broken open and dropped into water.Unfortunately, there are certain deficiencies in the art regarding theseconcentrates.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved method anddevice for delivering edible concentrates.

BRIEF SUMMARY

A capsule containing a concentrate that can be dissolved in hot waterwithin about 10 seconds to about 30 seconds and a machine forfabricating the capsule is shown. The capsule may have a rugged foodgrade exterior shell fabricated from a gelatin material. This exteriorshell protects a concentrate contained in the exterior shell duringhandling, storage and other deleterious effects from outside forces. Afood grade paraffin may be coated on an interior surface of the exteriorshell to protect the exterior shell from interaction with theconcentrate disposed within the center of the capsule. The concentratemay be a water-based liquid or solid disposed within the food gradeexterior shell and separated from that food grade exterior shell bycoating the interior surface thereof with the food grade paraffin.During storage and handling, the food grade exterior shell issufficiently rugged to allow for dropage, pressure, etc. withoutbreaking the exterior shell and spilling the water-based liquid or solidconcentrate. In order to mix the concentrate with water, the capsule issubmerged in hot water which eventually melts the paraffin coating toallow the water-based concentrate to interact with the exterior shell todissolve the exterior shell and release the concentrate.

More particularly, a capsule dissolvable in hot water is disclosed. Thecapsule may comprise a food grade exterior shell, a food grade paraffincoating and a water based liquid or solid. The food grade exterior shellmay be fabricated from a gelatin material. The food grade paraffincoating may be disposed on an interior surface of the food gradeexterior shell. The food grade paraffin may have a melting temperatureat least about 130° F. The water based liquid or solid may be disposedwithin the food grade exterior shell and separated from the food gradeexterior shell by the food grade paraffin coating. To release the waterbased liquid or solid, the capsule may be disposed within hot waterhaving a temperature of at least about 130° F. By doing so, the foodgrade exterior shell is dissolved and the paraffin coating melts so thatthe water based solid or liquid interacts with the exterior shell todissolve the exterior shell to release the water based liquid or solidinto the water.

The food grade paraffin may have a melting temperature at least between130° F. to 200° F.

The water based liquid or solid may mix homogenously with the water.

A thickness of a wall of the food grade exterior shell may be betweenabout 0.2 mm and about 3 mm. A thickness of the food grade paraffincoating may be between about 0.05 mm and about 2 mm.

The food grade paraffin coating may be oil based.

The food grade exterior shell may be sufficiently rugged fortransportation of the capsule over trucks, trains and planes.

The water based liquid or solid may be coffee extract, tea extract, foodflavoring or combinations thereof.

In another aspect, a method of producing a capsule which is dissolvablein hot water is disclosed. The method may comprise the steps of formingfirst and second ribbons of a gelatin material, each of the first andsecond ribbons defining an interior surface and an exterior surface;coating the interior surfaces of the first and second ribbons with afood grade paraffin; guiding the first and second ribbons between firstand second rollers; disposing a water based liquid or solid between thefirst and second ribbons; and molding a plurality of capsules with thefirst and second rollers to encapsulate the water based liquid or solidwithin the capsules.

The coating step may comprise the step of spraying the food gradeparaffin in liquid form on the interior surfaces of the first and secondribbons. The forming step may comprise the step of forming the first andsecond ribbons to be between about 0.2 mm and about 3 mm. The disposingstep may includes the step of injecting a material having a viscositybetween about 5,000 cP and about 10,000 cP.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the various embodimentsdisclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the followingdescription and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like partsthroughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a plurality of capsules disposed withinthe container;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of one of the capsules shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for forming the capsule;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of a machine for forming the capsule;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged top perspective view of a portion of the machineshown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged bottom perspective view of a portion of themachine shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 illustrates the process shown in FIG. 4 with an additionalsprayer for spraying on additives;

FIG. 8 is an alternate embodiment of the process shown in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 9 illustrates the process shown in FIG. 8 with the addition ofsprayers for spraying on additives;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the capsule; and

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the second embodiment of thecapsule shown in FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, a capsule 10 is shown. The capsule doesnot dissolve even when exposed to humid conditions. As such, the capsule10 retains its shape and integrity during storage over a long period oftime and transportation. The capsule 10 has an exterior shell 12 that issufficiently rugged to handle normal handling during transportation andstorage without cracking or breaking. It also does not degradate due tomoisture in the air. An interior surface of the exterior shell 12 may becoated with a paraffin 14 and provides a layer of separation between theexterior shell 12 and a concentrate 16 disposed within the capsule 10 sothat the concentrate 16 does not degrade the exterior shell 12. In thisregard, the exterior shell 12 may be fabricated from a water dissolvablematerial and the concentrate 16 may be a water-based material. Due tothe paraffin coating 14, the water in the concentrate 16 does notdissolve or degrade the exterior shell 12. To release the concentrate16, the capsule 10 may be placed in hot water wherein the hot water isat a temperature sufficient to melt the paraffin 14. By melting theparaffin 14, the concentrate 16 then interacts with the exterior shell12 which in our example would dissolve the exterior shell 12 so that theconcentrate 16 excretes out of the exterior shell 12.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a plurality of capsules 10 is shown as beingcontained within a container 18. The capsule 10 has a rugged exteriorshell 12 that is capable of withstanding normal forces due totransportation over truck, train and plane and also the weight of othercapsules 10 so that the concentrate 16 does not leak out of the capsule10 during storage and handling. The exterior shell 12 may be fabricatedfrom a food grade gelatin material. By way of example and notlimitation, the food grade gelatin material may be amylose, pullulan,guar gum, callaneenan, cellulose or combinations thereof. The exteriorshell 12 may have a spherical configuration and be approximately 0.2 mmthick 20.

The food grade gelatin material may be dissolvable in water. Preferably,the food grade gelatin material dissolves relatively slowly in coldwater but quickly in hot water. By way of example and not limitation,the amount of food grade gelatin material and thickness of the exteriorshell 12 may be adjusted such that the exterior shell 12 dissolveswithin about 10 to about 30 seconds when submerged in hot water at atemperature above 130° F.

Although the capsule 10 has been described as having a food gradeexterior shell 12 fabricated from a gelatin material, other types ofmaterials are also contemplated including but not limited tothermoplastic starch, polyvinyl alcohol, aliphatic copolyester,aliphatic/aromatic copolyester, polylactic acid, and blends of thesepolymers, and also polyethelene, polyethylene terephthalate andpolyvinyl chloride. These other materials may be non-food gradematerials.

An interior surface of the exterior shell 12 may be coated with paraffin14. The paraffin 14 acts as a barrier between the exterior shell 12 andthe concentrate 16 located within the capsule 10. The paraffin 14 isinert and does not react with the concentrate 16 or the exterior shell12 so that the concentrate 16 can be preserved over a long period oftime. The paraffin 14 may be a food grade paraffin 14 and may be coatedon the interior surface of the exterior shell 12. In order to releasethe concentrate 16, the capsule 10 may be heated to a temperature abovethe melting temperature of the paraffin 14. By way of example and notlimitation, paraffin 14 may have a melting temperature of about 130° F.As such, in order to release the concentrate 16, the capsule 10 may beplaced within hot water or otherwise heated which would dissolve theexterior shell 12 from the outside. Also, the paraffin 14 would melt inorder to allow the concentrate 16 to interact with the exterior shell 12to dissolve the exterior shell 12 from the outside. The concentrate 16is released and quickly dissolved in the hot water within about 10seconds to about 30 seconds.

The paraffin 14 may be sprayed on the interior surface of the exteriorshell 12 during manufacture of the capsule 10. The paraffin 14 may havea thickness 22 of about 0.2 mm. Although the paraffin 14 is preferablysprayed on the interior surface of the exterior shell 12, the paraffin14 may also be melted and spread over the interior surface of theexterior shell 12. The thickness 22 of the paraffin 14 may be adjusted(e.g., increased) in order to ensure that even minor degradation in theparaffin 14 will not cause the concentrate 16 to be placed in contactwith the exterior shell 12.

The paraffin 14 is described as having a melting temperature of about130° F. However, other materials having higher or lower meltingtemperatures are also contemplated. These other materials may also befood grade so that they can be consumed by a person.

The concentrate 16 may be a water-based liquid or a solid. When theparaffin 14 is melted away, the water content within the water-basedliquid or solid reacts with the exterior shell 12 to dissolve the samefrom the inside-out. In this manner, the interaction speeds up thedisintegration of the capsule 10 when heated such as by placing thecapsule 10 in hot water. The concentrate 16 may be dissolvable in waterso that when the exterior shell 12 dissolves in water and the paraffin14 melts away, the concentrate 16 may mix with the water. By way ofexample and not limitation, the concentrate 16 may dissolve in water inorder to provide for a homogeneous solution or may be dispersed withinthe water in order to provide for a heterogeneous solution. Moreover,the concentrate 16 may be partially dissolvable in water to provide fora mixed homogeneous and heterogeneous solution/mixture.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a process for manufacturing the capsule 10 isshown. The process may begin with providing 100 a gelatin formulation.The gelatin is melted and formed 102 into two ribbons 24 a, b. As shownin FIG. 4, two ribbons 24 a, b are shown which each form one half of theexterior shell 12 of the capsule 10. Simultaneously, a paraffinformulation is provided 104 and is melted so that the melted paraffin 14can be disposed 106 (e.g., sprayed or spread) on a surface of the ribbon24 a, b that defines the interior surface of the exterior shell 12.Sprayers 26 a, b may be placed above the ribbons 24 a, b in order tospray the melted paraffin 14 on the ribbon 24 a, b. A water dissolvablematerial (e.g., concentrate 16) may be introduced 108 into a cavityformed by the ribbons 24 a, b within injector 28. First and secondrotary clamshells 30 a, b form 110 the capsule 10 into a sphericalshape, as shown in FIG. 4.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a partially enlarged view of the machine shownin FIG. 4 is shown. The ribbon 24 a is guided on a series of rollers 32,32 a to a position between the clamshells 30 a, b. The sprayer 26 a islocated above the ribbon 24 a and positioned so that the melted paraffincovers the entire width of the ribbon 24 a. The ribbon 24 may travel ata slow speed so that the melted paraffin 14 dries up or issemi-malleable before the concentrate 16 is injected with the injector28 and the concentrate 16 is formed. The rollers 32 a, b may have aplurality of semi-spherical cavities 34 to contour the ribbon 24 a, binto the spherical shape configuration. The clamshells 30 a, b may havea plurality of semi-spherical cavities 34 that mate with each other toform the spherical configuration of the capsule 10. As the clamshells 30a, b rotate, corresponding semi-spherical cavities 34 a, b mate up witheach other and form the spherical configuration of the capsule 10. Theclamshells 30 a, b may be heated so that the ribbons 24 a, b may beformed and cut. The injector 28 pressurizes the interior of the cavityformed by the ribbons 24 a, b in order to push the ribbons 24 a, b intoconformity with the configuration of the semi-spherical cavity 34.

Thereafter, the capsule 10 is attached to the joined ribbon 24 a, b andeventually falls to the sides and is then collected in the container 18.

Although the capsule 10, and more particularly, an outer surface of theexterior shell 12 was described as having a spherical configuration,other configurations are also contemplated such as cube, pyramidal, etc.The cavities 34 a, b would form one half of the alternate configuration.

In another embodiment, the exterior shell 12 may be fabricated from amaterial that is non-dissolvable in water. However, the material of theexterior shell 12 may be reactive with a substance 16. The interiorsurface of the exterior shell 12 may be coated with a coating 14 that isnon-reactive with the substance 16 but may be melted at a temperature.The interior of the exterior shell 12 and the coating 14 may hold thesubstance 16 or a derivative thereof. When the product is immersed inwater, the exterior shell 12 does not disintegrate to expose thesubstance 16 within the product. However, when the product is heated bydisposing the product in hot water or applying heat to the product, thecoating 14 melts away so that the substance 16 interacts with interiorsurface of the exterior shell 12. Such interaction disintegrates ordissolves the exterior shell 12 so that the substance 16 leaks out ofthe exterior shell 12.

Referring now to FIG. 7, the process for manufacturing the capsule 10shown in FIG. 3 may also have an additional sprayer 40 a, 40 b. Thesprayers 40 a, b may spray an additive. By way of example and notlimitation, such additives may be a preservative, vitamin fortification,flavor enhancement or combinations thereof. Once the additive is sprayedonto the surface of the ribbon 24 a, b, the paraffin 14 locks theadditive between the paraffin 14 and the ribbon 24 a, b so that theconcentrate 16 does not interact with the additive.

Referring now to FIG. 8, in lieu of the sprayers 26 a, b for sprayingparaffin 14 on the ribbons 24 a, b, it is also contemplated that aparaffin ribbon 42 a, b may be formed and fed between the rotaryclamshells 30 a, b which attaches (e.g., fuses) the ribbon 24 a toribbon 42 a and ribbon 24 b to ribbon 42 b. Referring now to FIG. 9,sprayers 40 a, b may spray additives on the ribbons 24 a, b. Theadditive 44 may be locked between ribbons 24 a, b and 42 a, b.

The concentrate 16 discussed herein may be a coffee extract, teaextract, food flavoring or combinations thereof. The concentrate 16 maybe a coffee extract so that upon dissolution into hot water, one capsuledissolved in 8 fluid ounces of hot water will form regular strength hotcoffee. Different concentrations of the concentrate 16 are alsocontemplated in that the concentrate 16 may have a potency so that oneor more capsules mixed in a certain number of fluid ounces would formregular strength hot coffee. By way of example, three (3) capsulesdissolved in 8 fluid ounces of hot water may form regular strength hotcoffee. By inserting more or less concentrate in hot water, the strengthof the hot coffee may be regulated. More concentrate will producestronger coffee. Less concentrate will produce weaker coffee. Althoughthe various aspects and embodiments were discussed in relation to theconcentrate, it is also contemplated that the concentrate 16 may benon-concentrated or normal concentration for the purposes of mixing asubstance in hot water.

The capsules 10 may also be dipped in a flavored liquid that solidifieswhen removed from the flavored liquid. The flavored liquid may be achocolate coating or other liquefied food product. The flavored liquidmay also solidify and adhere to the exterior of the capsule 10 when theflavored liquid is dried out when the capsule 10 is removed from theflavored liquid or when the dipped capsule 10 with the flavored liquidcoated on the outside of the capsule 10 is heated.

Referring now the FIGS. 10 and 11, a second embodiment of the capsule 10a is shown. The capsule 10 a is shown as having two compartments 50 a,b. However, it is also contemplated that the capsule 10 a may haveadditional compartments 50 c-n. These additional compartments 50 may bestacked upon or laid adjacent to each other as shown in FIG. 11.

The capsule 10 a may have three dissolvable layers 52 a, b and 54 toform two compartments 50 a, b. The layers 52 a, b, 54 may be fabricatedfrom a cellulose-based material that can fully dissolve in water inunder 1 minute. By way of example and not limitation, the layers 52 a, b54 may be fabricated from amylose, pullulan, guar gum, callaneenan,cellulose or combinations thereof. For example, the cellulose basedlayer 52 a, b, 54 may comprise a combination of decaglycerin monitormyristate (CAS No. 74504-63-5 and 87390-32-7), glycerin (CAS No.56-81-5), crystalline cellulose (9004-34-6), and hydroxypropylcellulose(CAS No. 9004-64-2). The layers 52 a, b form the exterior shell 12 a ofthe capsule 10 a. In this regard, the layers 52 a, b are preferablyfabricated to be rugged in order to withstand normal handling duringtransportation, usage and storage. By way of example and not limitation,layers 52 a, b may be fabricated to have a thickness 56 which is greaterthan the thickness 58 of the inner layer 54. The thickness 56 of theexterior layers 52 a, b may be sufficient to prevent the layers 52 a, bfrom ripping, separating or otherwise allowing the contents within thecompartments 50 a, b from leaking out of the capsule 10 a duringhandling, transportation and storage.

The compartments 50 a, b may contain different food products. By way ofexample and not limitation, the food product disposed withincompartments 50 a, b may be a powdery substance consumable by a personor animal. The food product may be mixed in water when the capsule 10 ais disposed in water. The water may be at a temperature of approximately68° F., or more broadly, between 60° F. and 90° F. When the capsule 10 ais disposed in water, the water dissolves the layers 52 a, b in order toallow the food products disposed in the compartments 50 a, b to be mixedwith the water.

The food product disposed within the compartment 50 a may be a coffeeconcentrate, strawberry concentrate, etc. The food product disposedwithin the adjacent compartment 50 b may be complementary to the foodproduct disposed within the compartment 50 a. By way of example and notlimitation, the food product disposed within the adjacent compartment 50b may be a powdered creamer to be paired with the coffee concentrate orgranulated sugar to be paired with the strawberry concentrate. The foodproducts within the compartments 50 a, b may complement one another sothat when the capsule 10 a is disposed in water, the food products inthe compartments 50 a, b are eventually mixed with each other to enhancethe taste of the drink.

Preferably, the food products disposed in compartments 50 a, b are not awater-based liquid. Rather, the food product disposed in thecompartments 50 a, b are a solid object such as a powdery substance.However, it is also contemplated that the inner surfaces of the layers52 a, b as well as the opposed surfaces of the layer 54 may be coatedwith a paraffin wax. In doing so, water-based liquids may then bedisposed within the compartments 50 a, b since the paraffin wax layerseparates the liquid from the layers 52 a, b and 54. The paraffin waxlayer also helps to strengthen the layers 52 a, b so that the layers 52a, b do not rip or tear during normal transportation, storage or use.

Additionally, the entire capsule 10 a can be dipped within a liquidwhich coats the exterior of the shell 12 a and is subsequently hardenedin order to form an additional liquid layer that encapsulates the entirecapsule 10 a. This additional outer coating also helps to strengthen thelayers 52 a, b so that the layers 52 a, b do not tear or rip duringnormal transportation, storage or use.

In order to fabricate capsule 10 a, food products are disposed betweenthe layers 52 a, b and layer 54. Once the food product is disposedbetween the layers 52 a, b, 54, the outer peripheral portion 60 iscrimped together with pressure and heat by way of heat sealing so thatthe outer peripheral portion 60 forms an airtight seal and the foodproducts cannot leak out of the capsule 10 a.

The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation.Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devisevariations that are within the scope and spirit of the inventiondisclosed herein, including various ways of forming the capsules.Further, the various features of the embodiments disclosed herein can beused alone, or in varying combinations with each other and are notintended to be limited to the specific combination described herein.Thus, the scope of the claims is not to be limited by the illustratedembodiments.

1.-11. (canceled)
 12. A capsule dissolvable in hot water, the capsulecomprising: a food grade exterior shell fabricated from a waterdissolvable material; a food grade inner protective layer disposed on aninterior surface of the food grade exterior shell, the inner protectivelayer being inert to a substance disposed within the food grade exteriorshell, the food grade inner protective layer having a meltingtemperature between about 130° F. and about 200° F.; a consumablesubstance disposed within the food grade exterior shell and separatedfrom the food grade exterior shell by the food grade inner protectivelayer; wherein disposing the capsule within water having a temperatureat or above the melting temperature of the food grade inner protectivelayer dissolves the food grade exterior shell and melts the food gradeinner protective layer to release the consumable substance into thewater.
 13. The capsule of claim 12 wherein the consumable substance is asolid or liquid.
 14. The capsule of claim 12 wherein the consumablesubstance is a water based substance and mixes homogenously with thewater.
 15. The capsule of claim 12 wherein a thickness of a wall of thefood grade exterior shell is between about 0.2 mm and about 3 mm, and athickness of the food grade inner protective layer is between about 0.05mm and about 2 mm.
 16. The capsule of claim 12 wherein the food gradeinner protective layer is an oil based paraffin coating.
 17. The capsuleof claim 12 wherein food grade exterior shell is sufficiently rugged fortransportation of the capsule over trucks, trains and planes.
 18. Thecapsule of claim 12 wherein the consumable substance is coffee extract,tea extract, food flavoring or combinations thereof.
 19. A method ofproducing capsule which is dissolvable in hot water, the methodcomprising the steps of: forming first and second ribbons of a materialfor forming a food grade exterior shell, each of the first and secondribbons defining an interior surface and an exterior surface; forming afood grade inner protective layer adjacent to the interior surfaces ofthe first and second ribbons so that the flavor additive is lockedbetween the food grade inner protective layer on one side and the firstand second ribbons on the other side until capsule is dissolved in hotwater; guiding the first and second ribbons between first and secondrollers; disposing a consumable substance between the first and secondribbons, the consumable substance being separated from the first andsecond ribbons with the food grade inner protective layer; forming aplurality of capsules with the first and second rollers to encapsulatethe consumable substance within the capsules.
 20. The method of claim 19wherein the consumable substance is a water based liquid or solid. 21.The method of claim 19 wherein the step of forming a food grade innerprotective layer is accomplished by spraying a food grade paraffin inliquid form on the interior surfaces of the first and second ribbons.22. The method of claim 19 wherein step of forming the first and secondribbons comprises the step of forming the first and second ribbons to bebetween about 0.2 mm and about 3 mm.
 23. The method of claim 19 whereinthe step of disposing the consumable substance includes the step ofinjecting a material having a viscosity between about 5,000 cP and about10,000 cP.